The Tribune

By LYNAIRE MUNNINGS

Tribune Staff Reporter

lmunnings@tribunemedia.net

Foreign Affairs Minister and PLP Chairman Fred Mitchell has told Progressive Liberal Party politicians that they should not feel compelled to answer questions from the press.

In a voicenote yesterday, he said there is “nothing that compels you to answer a phone from a reporter and nothing that compels you to give a statement to the press,” noting that when statements are made and “there are what seems to be unforced errors, as a result, our opponents are reading the tea leaves and are too busy trying to make two plus two five.”

“Folks, two plus two today still equal four, not five,” he added.

Mr Mitchell’s comments come as media houses increasingly seek comment from prospective candidates and political newcomers as parties prepare for the next general election.

“I am an observant student of politics, and I always counsel folks not to impose deadlines and declarations on yourself that are not necessary and that you have to eat later,” he said, adding that apart from constitutional requirements, nothing compels the party to set public deadlines.

Meanwhile, Senator Michela Barnett-Ellis, in an Op-Ed published in The Tribune today, criticised Mr Mitchell for his recent overseas travel, arguing that his decision to travel to London for meetings, including one conducted via Zoom, was out of step with the country’s current realities.

She said the trip was difficult to justify at a time when the public healthcare system is under strain and questioned whether public funds are being spent with sufficient restraint, warning that such decisions risk eroding public trust and reinforcing perceptions of an administration disconnected from everyday pressures.